Flying-machine propeller.



W. H. LAWRENCE. .PLYING MACHINE PROPELLBR'.

I I APPLICATION FILED NOV. 26, 1910. 7

1,015,197; Patented Jan.16,1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES INVENTOR. WrLLtez" 11. Lawrence ATTORNEYS W. H. LAWRENCE.

FLYING MACHINE PROPELLER. APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 26, 1910.

1,015,197. Paten ted Jan. 16, 1912.

2 SHEETS-$311131 2.

, mmvron 11g Mah er [fizzy/rams mat WALTER HULBERT LAWRENCE, OF HAR WIGHPORT, MASSACHUSETTS.

FLYING-MACHINE PROPELLER.

Application filed November 26, 1910.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, WALTER H. LAW- FENCE, acitizen of the United States, and a resident of Harwich Port, in thecounty of Barnstable and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new andImproved Flying- Machine Propeller, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in rotary fans or propellersadapted to act upon the air, and more particularly to such airpropellers, as are used for propelling airships or flying machines andwhich are actuated either by hand or by a suitable mechanical device. VIn describing the invention, I shall make reference only to airpropellers in which the improvements have proved particularly useful. Itis to be understood, however, that I do not limit my invention to theparticular use described, and that the same may be advantageouslyapplied to fans or other apparatus of this character.

In the construction of fans or propellers, it is of importance that thepropeller be as light as possible and yet sufficiently strong toresistthe strains exerted thereon by the pressureof the air.Furthermore, the blades and connections must be so constructed thatpeller blades of flexible material connectingthe rings in oppositeplanes.

W'ith the above and other objects in view, as will more fullyhereinafter appear, the present invention consists in certain noveldetails of construction and arrangement of arts hereinafter fullydescribed, illustrated 1n the accompanying drawings, and moreparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had'to the accompany ing drawings, forming part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of ref- I Specificationof Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 16,1812. Serial No. 594,297.

erence indicate corresponding parts in all the figures, and in which-Figure l is a plan view looking down on my improved propeller in thedirection of the driving shaft; Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing themeans for connecting the vanes with the frame, parts being broken away;Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 38 of Fig. 1;Figs. 4 to 9, inclusive, are details of various parts of the device;Fig. 4t being a perspective view of the clamps used on the frame; Fig.5, a perspective View of the reinforcing sleeve used on the outer ring;Fig. 6, a similar view showing a sleeve used on the inner ring;

Fig. 7, a preferred form of spoke; and Figs. 8 and 9, two forms ofattachment plates, by means of which the spokes are attached to theshaft.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention, I have shown a shaft I ofany suitable material, as, for instance, sheet iron tubing, aluminum orany other light metal,

and having means whereby it is connected to the driving mechanism in anysuitable or approved manner and having an enlarged portion 2, to whichportion is atfixed my framework 3. This framework comprises an upperpair of concentric wooden rings, the outer ring 4 being concentric withthe inner ring Disposed below the concentric rings in the upper planeand positioned in a plane parallel with an at some suitable distancebelow the upper plane, is a pair of lower rings, comprising an outerring 6 and an inner ring 7. In describing the particular construction ofthese rings, but one pair will be described, it being understood thatthe description pertains to both sets of rings.

Positioned about the outer circumference of the enlarged portion 2 ofthe shaft land at some distance above and below the plane of the rings,is a. series of spaced-apart plates 8, having one end offset as shown at9. This offset portion contains a pair of apertures 10, and the platesare riveted to the shaft by means of rivet connections 11. Positioned onthe outer rings and substantially in the plane passing through the axisof the shaft and the plates 8, is a two-part clamp 12 having parallelopposite flanges 13 on each end and havin its central portion curvedoutwardly as shown at 14, in

order to fit about the ring. The two parts of theclamp 12 are heldtogether, by means of the bolt connection 15. Centrally disposed througheach of the halves of the clamp 12, is an aperture 16 in line with anaperture 17 in the ring. A wire or'spoke 18 passes through the openings16, 17 is looped through the apertures 10 of the plate 8, and

is brought back on itself and fastened to a similar clasp 12 on theinner ring, substantially in the same line witl1 the clamp on the outerring.

Located longitudinally between the plates 8 on the shaft member 2- butin the plane of the rings, is a series of plates 19 fastened to theshaft by means of a bolt 20,and having oppositely-disposedvapertures'21. Fas

tened through the apertures 21 and the,

plates 19, and extending outwardly in a direction in a line tangent tothe shaft and all .in the same plane, is a series of tangent braces 22.The tangent braces from one of these plates converge and intersect atthe inner ring and are passed through apertures 23 in a reinforcingsleeve 24 and through apertures in the inner ring 5, and held inposition by-a bolt 25. This ring or sleeve 24 has a central aperture 26,and through this .aperture and through an aperture in the in nallydisposed clamps on the lower rings 6 and 7, respectively.

Positioned below the clamp 12 on the upper pair of rings and positionedabove the clamps 12 on the lower pair of rings, are

vane pins 29 connecting the adjacent clamps and held thereto by a Wireconnection 30 engaging the bolts 15 and engaging the loop member 31 ofthe tie member 3.2 which passes about the vane pins 29. between theoffset vane pins 29 is a series of npwardly-inclined vanes preferably ofsome flexible material, as canvas or silk, and each plane'inclines inthe same direction and preferably at about an angle of thirty degrees tothe plane of the rings. In the embodiment of my invention herewithdisclosed, I have shown three of these planes, but it is to beunderstood that any number may be used as preferred. A frameworkconstructed as described possesses considerable rigidity, so that itprovides a reliable support for the blades of the propeller.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and manyapparently widely difierent' embodiments of this inven- Stretched tioncould be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intendedthat all matters contained herein in the above description or shown inthe accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not inalimiting sense. It is also to be understood that the language usedinthe fol-- lowing'claims is merely intended to cover all the genericand, specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention, which, as a matter of language,might be said to fall therebetween and that materials, sizes andrelativities of parts are non-essential, except as called for in theclaims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent:

1. In a flying machine propeller, a frame comprising two pairs ofconcentric rings arranged in parallel planes, clamps attached to therings of each pair, rods connecting the clamps of rings in the sameplane, and a vane stretched from the rod of one pair in one plane to therod of a pair in the other plane.

outer rings passing through said reinforce-- ments.

'4. In a flying machine propeller, a frame comprising rings disposed inparallel planes, reinforcing sleeves surrounding said rings, andvertical and horizontal connections between said reinforcements onadjacent rings.

5. In a flying machine propelleig a frame con'iprising rings disposed inparallel planes, reinforcing sleeves surrounding said rings, verticaland horizontal connections between said rcinforcementson adjacent rings,and inclined vanes extending from the rings in one plane to the rings inthe other plane.

6. In a flying machine propeller, a framework comprising concentricrings in parallel planes, clamps on said rings, and horizontal andinclined braces connecting adj accnt clamps. I

7. In a flying machine propeller, a shaft having an enlarged portion, apair of con- 2. In a flying machine propeller, a cylincentric ringssurrounding said enlarged portion, a second pair of. concentric rings ina V plane parallel with said first-mentioned pair, vanes inclining from'one pair .of rings to 5 the otherpair, and rigid connections betweensaid rings andsaid shaft. a

9. In a flying machine, a shaft, a pair of concentric rings spaced apartin a plane at right angles to the axis of said shaft, a'

1 pair of concentric rin s in a plane parallel to said first-Inen'tioneplane, diametrically alined clamps about eachof said rings, one set ofclamps oflset from/the other set, a

